discrete forms in computational electromagnetics

Indigenous Nigerian languages had no direct place in colonial administration and so, colonial Nigeria did not cater for them. The attention Nigerian languages had or received came from Christian

missionaries who developed orthography/alphabet of Nigerian languages to promote literacy in mother tongue as a means of promoting Christian evangelization and Nigerian Christianity converts who were able to read the Holy Bible in their native

tongues. So, from the very beginning, the colonial administration

had promoted English to the detriment of Nigerian languages.

Nigerians had sought to be able to read and write English because of the dividends that accrued to such individual who possessed

literacy skills in English. The cadres of indigenous staff on the colonial payroll became the incentive and attraction for colonial subjects. The way to get there was through the mastery of English language (Banjo, 1970 and Ömölçwà, 1975).

The need for English is on the increase across the world because of its world language status. In Nigeria, the need to speak, read and

write it well is on the increase, especially, because of its association with modern development in terms of science and technology, information and technology, electronics, agriculture, aviation, etc. In fact, many elite Nigerian families now bring up their children with English as their first language.

As an instrument for intellectual development, English will, for a long time to come, be a medium for cultivating the intellect, the talent and the personality of Nigerians, as well as facilitating Nigeria‟s socio-economic drive and development. So far, there has

been no other Nigerian language to challenge English in this respect. Moreover, the very dynamic nature of Nigeria‟s socio- economic development, especially, the development of infrastructural facilities such as roads, electricity and rural integrated development have encouraged the mobility rate of Nigerians across the country and the world. This, in turn, makes the language needs of the average Nigerian far more complex, especially, in terms of national activities and operation outside

his or her ethnic or immediate linguistic environment. For now, it is English, and not any other language, that enables the Nigerian to effect intra-national communication, communication across ethnic

barriers, in Nigeria: “because of the multiplicity of language, English has become a lingua franca … an Ibo talks to a Yor b in English, (Tiffen, 1969, p. 2).

It is likely that English will continue to be used as Nigeria‟s official national language due to the absence of a local language of wider acceptability. It is likely that English will continue to be used as Nigeria‟s language of education, diplomacy, foreign

affairs, judicial system, communication on the radio and television and so on. The fact that as a language of education, a minimum level of proficiency, stated in terms of a degree of credit pass in English as a prerequisite for all post-secondary education and or to enter into certain employments in Nigeria is a testimony that English will continue to be in use for a long time in Nigeria.

English has a curriculum description from the primary to the University levels in Nigeria. The multilingual setting of Nigeria

and the absence of an acceptable Nigerian language to replace English as a national and lingua franca have made these possible.

The two factors have favoured the continued rise of English in

Nigeria. For a long time to come, it is likely that English will hold the position of Nigeria‟s dominant official language in spite of the apparent attempt to promote indigenous languages in Nigeria, (National Policy of Education 2004).

The sociolinguistic setting of Nigeria that favours the continuous

need, use and rise of English may be made summarised in this section.

1. None of Nigeria‟s three major languages exhibits an all- round domineering influence to make it accepted by others.

2. Sentimental factors have not allowed Nigerians to consider

Hausa, the most continental of all Nigeria‟s languages and the one with the greatest potential (in terms of total number of speakers and national geographical spread) to rise as the official national language (Mùnkáílà and Hárúnà, 2001).

3. The need to balance the general national equation takes from the government the necessary fiat and the political will to declare Hausa as the local national language.

4. Historically, Nigeria has no record of any past strong political, historical, cultural or social traditional factor binding the people together as one before and after the emergence of colonialism (Fishman, 1971). What Nigeria had

instead were regional traditions binding different parts of Nigeria together as units. For example, the Sókótó Caliphate

brought together only the North and had Arabic as the language of administration while the Ôyõ Empire held the Yorùbá people

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together as a unit with Yorùbá as lingua franca over the South –West, parts of Delta, Kwárà and Kogí States.

These four factors have resulted in mutual distrust which disallows the emergence of a Nigerian language and the relative strengthening of the position of English. English, therefore, looks able to satisfy all the requirements of a national language in terms of

spread, acceptability, international contact, ease and economy of

learning and so on. The NTA (International) programme is a testimony of Nigeria supporting the internationality of English.

As a second language, English is used alongside other Nigerian

languages. As a lingua franca, it functions as a common language and permits people who have no common indigenous language to communicate with each other. Besides, the position and influence of the over 300 million native speakers of English over world economy, politics, medicine, agriculture, science, engineering and technology, has continued to make English a world language.

Therefore, there is always an incumbency to learn and master English worldwide either as a foreign or second language.

The status of English as a leading language in Nigeria has been reflected in the policy and goals set by the Federal Government, particularly as enunciated in Nigeria‟s policy on education. At the primary level, it holds its traditional position of being taught initially as a subject and being used later as a medium for teaching other subjects. It has a curriculum description from the

primary to the tertiary grades. At the tertiary level, it is a discipline of specialization. Although there is a provision in the National Policy on Education for all Nigeria languages to be taught this policy does not evoke concern the way English does in the

school system. Some Nigerians do not even see the need for speaking or teaching indigenous languages in their homes. They are even more ambivalent to doing so in the school. Considering the Nigerian

language context presented in this unit, the teacher of Nigerian languages should highly motivated and be able to motivate students to learn the languages which are competing with English. The teaching Nigerian languages should be innovative in approach.

4.0 Summary

In this Unit, we examined the language situation of Nigeria as an aspect of the problem of the multilingual setting of Nigeria. We note that the scrambling for Africa by the West resulted in the

emergence of multilingual Nigeria. We observed that in spite of all that the Federal Government of Nigeria may do to encourage the

local rise of Nigeria‟s three major languages, English will continue to be on the rise, especially, as it becomes more and more

international. On the issue of English, Nigeria cannot afford to be

left behind. We cited the NTAI to support this view. This, however, does not mean we should neglect our Nigerian languages.

5.0 Conclusion

Nigeria should continue to support the use and promotion of English

as a second language in Nigeria. She should promote the teaching of other languages‟ as well in her effort at trilingualism.

6.0 Tutor Marked Assignments

Discuss critically, the factors that promoted the use of English in Nigeria from the colonial days to the present.